Ren's Youkai Bestiary
by KeiMeansStyle
Summary: Ren makes friends with a bunch of different youkai, told in a series of drabbles and one-shots. Rated K-plus for occasional swear words.
1. Table of Contents

**Ren's Youkai Bestiary: Table of Contents**

Chapter 1: Kappa (Ren likes cucumbers. So do kappa.)

Chapter 2: Zashiki-warashi (Kagome's friend Kiku realizes that she has a house guest.)

Chapter 3: Shikigami (Ren explains her version of the Vow to Kagome.)

Break (Ren starts the project.)

Chapter 4: Kitsune (Shippo and Souten are still on vacation, leaving Ren to babysit.)

Chapter 5: Koma Inu (Kagome gets a Koma Inu statue.)

Chapter 6: Oni

Chapter 7: Nekomata (Ren finds a nekomata in downtown Tokyo.)

Break (Kagome finds out about the project.)

Chapter 8: Spider Youkai (Ren gets new clothes made of spider silk.)


	2. Chapter 1: Kappa

**A/N: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters therein. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Kappa**

It was a relatively pleasant day; the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there was a cool, gentle breeze. Ren was sitting at the bank of the river that ran through the shrine grounds, enjoying the breeze as she munched on cucumbers.

All of a sudden, just as she was about to bite into her cucumber, it slipped through her fingers and fell into the river. She cursed but didn't try to grab it again; instead, she grabbed another cucumber from the bag full of cucumbers next to her.

She took a bite of the new cucumber and crossed her legs, looking to her right (which was downstream) and expecting to see the cucumber floating away. However, the cucumber was nowhere in sight. She just shook her head and continued eating her cucumber.

* * *

The next day was just as nice as the one before it. Ren had returned to the river again, bringing another bag of cucumbers to eat, and, just like the day before, she dropped a cucumber. However, this time she noticed as a webbed... hand, grabbed the cucumber and pulled it under the water. She knelt on the bank, peering down into the water, but saw nothing. _Maybe it's a _kappa, she thought as she grabbed another cucumber to munch on.

* * *

The third day was nice, but not as nice as the two days before it. Despite that fact, Ren still came to the river with a bag of cucumbers as she had the past two days. However, she had brought a few more than she usually did, and she wasn't planning on eating them all by herself. If her plan went well, the _kappa_ would be eating a few of them. She grabbed a cucumber from the bag and dropped it into the water.

A few seconds later, the same webbed hand from the day before shot up and grabbed the abandoned gourd. She let the hand disappear back into the river and waited a few seconds before saying "I have more cucumbers up here, kappa-san, and you're welcome to join me." She then sat down as she normally did and began eating some of the cucumbers.

Sadly, the _kappa_ didn't come out of the river as she had hoped it would, so she went home with a few leftover cucumbers and the knowledge that _kappa,_ like her, loved cucumbers.

* * *

For the next two weeks, Ren came to the river daily with cucumbers. Every day she dropped one in, and every day the _kappa_ grabbed it. However, the _kappa_ never left the water during those two weeks.

However, on the first day of the third week, this changed.

Ren came to the river as usual that day, and dropped a cucumber in. She sat down and ate her own cucumbers as she had every day for the past two weeks, and, after she finished her third cucumber, she felt the kappa's aura fill with impatience, as if it expected to be given another cucumber.

"If you want another, you have to come up here and join me," she said, feeling the _kappa's_ aura fill with uncertainty, as if it wanted the cucumbers but was afraid that she would hurt it.

"I swear, with the _kami_ as my witnesses, that I mean you no harm." She closed her eyes and began eating another cucumber.

A few seconds later, she heard as sort of 'splash' sound and opened her eyes to see the _kappa _emerging from the river. It was quite a bit shorter than her, roughly child-sized, with green skin, a beak, and a turtle shell on its back. On its head was a ring of hair surrounding a bowl-like depression filled with water. It came up out of the river and sat down next to her.

"Here you go," she said as she handed a cucumber to the creature. It squeaked a "thank you" in reply and began munching on the gourd.

And the two simply sat in silence, eating cucumbers together.

* * *

**Kappa**

Kappa (lit. "river spirits") are about the size of a child, with a turtle-like shell, scaly, slimy feet and webbed hands/feet. They have beaks in place of mouths. On their head is a bowl-like depression surrounded by hair and filled with water. If they're tricked into bowing or spilling that water in another way, the kappa will become very weak and may even die. (This water, as a side note, is a very powerful healing agent; a few drops will counteract even the strongest of poisons and cure most illnesses.)

Kappa are agile swimmers, but are sometimes awkward on land.

Kappa are mischievous, and their antics range from loudly passing gas to trying to drown humans/horses. They may challenge people to games or tests of strength (like sumo wrestling), which usually end with people drowning. Sometimes they like eating human intestines, which they pull out through the anus. However, they sometimes protect humans against water accidents or help with farming.

They have a firm sense of etiquette and will always keep their word. If one is caught trying to hurt a human, they may promise to stop in exchange for their freedom. They may even offer gifts (like fresh fish every day) or medical knowledge (which is one thing they are known for) as well.

Kappa can understand (and speak) Japanese.

* * *

A/N: Stupid thing deleted my divider lines. I don't like separating parts with lines, so I type a line of tildes and asterisks, but this darn thing kept deleting them!

Anyways, future chapters will be longer than this.

Please review!


	3. Chapter 2: Zashiki warashi

**A/N: I actually started writing this chapter at school. The school is giving out iPads to students who take certain classes, and I'm in one of those classes (AP Calculus)! So I get to work on my stories during my study hall now! **

**Anyways, enjoy the second chapter of Ren's Youkai Bestiary!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kagome or any other Inuyasha characters that may be mentioned later. I only own my OCs and the ideas presented in this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Zashiki-warashi**

Ren was bored out of her mind. There was a storm raging outside, lightning and all, so she couldn't go outside to do anything, and she couldn't find anything interesting to do inside, so she hadeven sitting around doing nothing for an hour and a half. she was so bored that she'd go insane if she didn't find anything to do, and soon.

Thankfully, she heard a knock at her door. She was so grateful that she had something to do that she didn't even wonder who would go outside in a storm like this, and why. She leapt up from her position on the floor and ran to the front door, throwing it open. She was about to thank the guest when she noticed who it was.

"Kiku-chan?" Ren blinked. Kiku was one of Kagome's friends. Kagome always bought flowers from Kiku's flower shop downtown. "What are you doing here? And during a storm, of all times!"

"Ah, Ren-chan," Kiku said with a smile, "It's nice to see you. May I come in?"

Ren frowned when Kiku didn't answer her question, but decided to let her in anyways. After all, she couldn't leave somebody standing outside during a storm, much less do so for not answering a question, and she was bored anyways. At least it would give her something to do.

Ren stepped aside to let Kiku in. "Come on in, then."

* * *

A couple minutes later, the two sat at the kitchen table drinking tea. (Kagome always had a pitcher of green tea in the fridge, and it was very easy reheating it.) As Ren drank her tea, she stared at Kiku. She was short, only about a centimeter taller than Ren, and was a bit skinny. Her hair was black and, as always, in a bob, while her eyes were a dark shade of brown.

"So," Ren said suddenly, "You never told me why you were here."

Kiku smiled. "Ah, I suppose I didn't." She set her cup down. "I need some help with a... situation, at home."

Ren blinked. "You mean you need a miko?" she asked. Kiku nodded. "The why not wait for Mom?"

"Because," Kiku replied, "I can't wait for her. I need help now. Besides, you're still training to be a miko, right?" Ren nodded. "Think of it as part of your training, a field exercise."

That made sense to Ren. She hadn't had any field experience yet. She'd only learned the theory so far, never used it. And it made sense that a miko would need some actual experience dealing with youkai.

"So, what's the problem?"

Kiku sighed, looking down into her cup. "Things keep moving around on their own. And I keep hearing noises, like footsteps, but there's nobody there," She explained, "Sometimes I'll wake up to somebody pulling on my bedding, but there's nobody there. Plus, today, I found wet footsteps when I got home, but they were child-sized, and I don't have any kids."

Ren blinked. It sounded sort of like she had a zashiki-warashi. But poor Kiku seemed scared to even go into her house now. As a miko, it was her job to help people (not that she was a miko yet, she was still in training). And people shouldn't be scared to enter their own home for any reason.

"Okay," Ren said, setting her cup down, "I'll check it out-"

"Than you so much!" Kiku cut her off with a huge hug that left Ren gasping for breath. "I can't tell you how grateful I am!"

"You didn't let me finish," Ren said as soon as she could breathe again, "I was going to say 'I'll check it out tomorrow while you're at work.'"

Kiku didn't like that. "But I can't sleep in my house!"

Ren sighed. "You can stay over here tonight," she told Kiku. "I'll just let Mom know when she gets back."

Once again, Ren was crushed by Kiku, who thanked her excitedly and repeatedly. Ren just sighed. She didn't want to think of what kind of 'thank you' she would get if she took care of the issue.

* * *

The next day, true to her word, Ren was at Kiku's house. Kiku had left her house keys for Ren when she left for work, saying "Just leave them under the doormat!" Honestly, Ren thought that Kiku was a bit too hyper and childish. She supposed that her childishness is why people liked her so much. To her, however, it was annoying.

Anyways, Ren stood in front of Kiku's house. From what she had heard, Kiku had gotten the house from her grandfather who had died about a year earlier. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either. She supposed it was just the right size to feel cozy in. There were flowers of all colors growing around the house. Ren only recognized a few of them.

She turned to look back at the door, reminding herself that she wasn't there to check out the flowers, but to try and find out what was living in Kiku's home. She grabbed the house keys from the bag at her side before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, a young girl came running up, no older than seven. Her hair was short and brown, and she wore it in a bob, just like Kiku. She wore a red kimono with a yellow obi. She was smiling as she ran towards Ren. "Kiku-chan! Kiku-chan!" the gir cheered. She stopped just short of Ren, realizing that it wasn't Kiku, but a guest.

"You're not Kiku," the girl said with a pout. Ren stared at the girl. She hadn't known that Kiku had a daughter, much less one that didn't attend school. Come to think of it, Kiku was single as well. So why did she have a child in her house? Unless...

Ren knelt down in front of the girl and smiled. "And what's your name?" she asked the girl, waiting to judge her reaction. She wasn't disappointed.

The girl blushed; apparently she wasn't used to being visible to people, much less being spoken to.

"You can see me?" the girl asked shyly, making Ren smile. She was cute.

Ren nodded at the girl's question. "Yes, I can, and you're such a cute girl, it's a shame that Kiku can't."

The girl blushed more. "Thank you," she said shyly. "You're really pretty too."

Ren smiled kindly. "Thank you very much," she said to the girl. "My name is Ren. I'm one of Kiku's friends. Who are you?"

"I'm Mayuko," the girl told her, "And I'm a zashiki-warashi."

Ren was glad that it wasn't a youkai terrorizing her mother's friend! But a zashiki-warashi. She smiled. "It's very nice to meet you, Mayuko."

"It's nice meeting you, too" Mayuko said with a blush. Ren stood up and smiled, patting the girl's head. Mayuko continued to blush.

"So, Mayuko-chan," Ren began, "Could you please lead me to the living room? I'd like to sit while I talk with you."

Mayuko smiled. "Of course! I know this house very well!" So Mayuko led Ren to the living room. It was quite plain, with just a couch, an end table and a TV. Ren sat on the couch (which was really comfy) and Mayuko sat next to her.

The two just sat at the couch for a while in silence before Ren began talking with Mayuko, and the two talked until Kiku arrived home from work.

* * *

Kiku arrived home from work to find that Ren was still there. She thought that was strange; shouldn't she be done and gone by now? She walked over to the living room, having heard Ren talking in there. However, when she entered the room, there was only Ren. She was confused. Who was Ren talking to?

Ren suddenly stopped talking and smiled, turning her head to watch... something... as it made it's way towards her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked Ren, who just smiled at her and giggled.

"She can't see you," Ren said to an invisible guest. She seemed to listen for a bit, as if the invisible guest were speaking to her, before giggling again. "She doesn't have the Kenki ability like I do, Mayuko-chan, so she won't be able to see you."

So she was talking to whatever was living in her home. Kiku frowned. "What is it?" she asked, crossing her arms. Ren grinned.

"She's a zashiki-warashi," Ren said, "And you should be a bit nicer to her."

Kiku blinked. A zashiki-warashi? She had a zashiki-warashi?

"You're sure it's a zashiki-warashi?" Ren nodded, still smiling. "So it won't hurt me?" Ren nodded again.

"I'll bring something for you and Mayuko-chan tomorrow," Ren said. "It'll allow you to see her so she doesn't scare you as much."

Kiku smiled. She wasn't expecting a zashiki-warashi, but she was glad that it wasn't harmful at all.

"Thank you so much for your help, Ren-chan," Kiku said. Ren nodded.

"No problem," she replied, "Just call me anytime if you need help."

"Of course!" Kiku exclaimed, "You're welcome back anytime!"

Ren smiled and stood up. "Well, I should head home now," she said, straightening her shirt. "I haven't eaten lunch yet."

Kiku laughed when she heard Ren's stomach growl. "See you later, Ren-chan!"

"Of course!" Ren said, clutching her stomach as it growled again, "Bye!"

So Ren headed home to eat a late lunch.

* * *

**Zashiki-warashi**

A child-like spirit of either gender, usually three to twelve years old in appearance. Their hair is always worn in a bob, no matter their gender. There are different kinda which vary in pleasantness, from the white choopirako to the Notabariko who Crawls out from beneath the dirt floor, making noises like pounding a mill-stone and causing unpleasant feelings.

Their presence is usually marked by mischief done to sleeping people, like pulling on bedding or moving pillows.

It's said that a house inhabited by a zashiki-warashi will be prosperous, and will fall into ruin when the spirit leaves. To keep the spirit in your home, you need to pay attention to it, appreciate it, and care for it, as if it were a child. Too much attention, however, may drive it away.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! I finished typing this during Calculus at school. We were learning Squeeze Theorem today.**

**Anyways, I'm glad this chapter is twice as long as the first. I normally suck at writing long chapters.**

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 3: Shikigami

**A/****N: Wow, it's been a while since I updated this. Well, here's a new chapter. Enjoy!**

**Note: I kinda borrowed some of the ideas about shikigami. I don't claim to own them or Kagome They belong to their rightful creators.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Shikigami**

Ren sat in a chair in Kagome's "office," her legs crossed. Her mom, Kagome, had called her in, wishing to talk to her. However, her mother was currently hunched over her desk working on something or another, not really paying her daughter any attention as she scribbled away with her pen. Ren uncrossed her legs, then recrossed them as she waited for her mother to speak.

A few minutes later, Kagome set her pen down and sat up in her chair, straightening her back. She twisted her upper body, making her back crack, before sighing and relaxing in her chair.

"So," Kagome began, making Ren jump, "I hear you have already made your own shikigami." Ren nodded. "Tell me about them, then. Which kinds have you made?"

"I've made all four types successfully, mom."

"So, what's your mark?"

"A white lotus." Kagome nodded.

"And your Type B's?"

"Crows. I've also made a clone of Tengu-sensei."

Kagome smiled. "Good. How about Type D's?"

"... I have three, and two Contracts."

"Wow," Kagome exclaimed. "Even I didn't have that many when I was your age!" Ren rolled her eyes.

"That's because you didn't start learning about stuff like this until you were 18." Kagome ignored her comment.

"What are their names, and what objects are they bound to?"

"Merry, Scotty and Luka. The two Contracts are Kuroshi and Arashi. The first three are bound to my blood."

Kagome whistled. "Wow. That's advanced stuff." Ren nodded in agreement.

"I had to have a few of my other teachers help me with it. But now, I won't ever forget their objects and it takes less energy to maintain as well. Plus, I don't have to worry about the object being destroyed, because it only takes a drop of blood to summon one, and there's so much blood in the human body."

"Where did you get the idea?"

"I just thought it up one day. I thought it was impractical using an object that could be destroyed, so I started doing some research, and, well..."

Kagome nodded again. "Do you have an oath for your type K's?" Ren nodded in the affirmative.

"Yes. They swear to serve me to the best of their ability and not harm me without permission, and I swear to be respectful of their wishes."

"Well, that's quite interesting." Ren nodded in agreement as Kagome picked her pen up again.

"I still have work to finish right now, Ren, so, if you don't mind..."

Ren stood. "Of course not." She bowed to her mother before torning around and walking to the door. "See you later, mom. I promised the nieces that I would play with them."

"Of course," Kagome said, "Have fun."

And Ren left the room, leaving Kagome wondering how her daughter had grown up so fast.

* * *

**Shikigami**

Shikigami (lit. "ritual spirit," also called _shiki_ for short) are spirits created by onmyouji, or other people with spiritual powers, to aid them in rituals and other such things. They are similar to the Western concept of a witch's familiar. They are invisible to humans until the user binds them, usually to a slip of paper. This binding requires a complex ritual that differs based on the type of shikigami one is trying to create.

In short, shikigami are beings, not originally created by their user, that have agreed to or have been bound to assist the user.

There are five types of shikigami:

Type A- These are the lowest-level shikigami, and the easiest to create. Their paper talismans are ofuda with a single identifying mark on it. This mark appears on the chest of the final shikigami and is unique to the creator. (Ren's is a white lotus.) They appear as white blobs without faces and the only detail they have is their creator's identifying mark. They are used for the most menial tasks, such as chores. Their size and shape generally indicate the experience level of the user: the more advanced they are, the more human the doll appears. Their forms may be altered so that they can serve a certain purpose better, i.e. the ones that are sent to deliver messages may turn into birds. In this state, they still possess the mark on their chest.

Type B- These shikigami are made from the same talismans as the Type A shikigami, but look profoundly different. Type B shikigami take the form of an animal unique to the creator. Unlike the Type A's, they actually look like real animals instead of animal-shaped dolls. They may be used for spying, or to aid their creator in more complex rituals, such as curses.

Type C- These shikigami are much more difficult to create, and they require a different ritual. Also called Shikigami Clones, Type C shikigami are made as replicas of real-life people. They are usually clones of the creator, but are occasionally clones of people the creator knows.

Type D- These are made using a similar ritual to the one for creating a Type C shikigami. Type D shikigami also look like real people, but they are people from the creator's imagination. They, unlike their lower-level counterparts, have personalities like real humans that set them apart from each other. These type needn't be bound to a paper doll; some onmyouji have sealed theirs in hollow tubes. Frequently, these shikigami make vows to their creators, and these vows, and how they're made, vary based on the creator of the shikigami. Because of the immense amount of energy required to maintain one of these, the user usually will not use more than one or two at a time.

Type K- These Shikigami are also called Contract Shikigami. These are Shikigami that agreed to or were forcibly bound to serve the user. They may have been lesser kami that lost their places, or they could have also been evil spirits forcibly bound by an Onmyouji. They may have an alternate dimension in which they reside while not in use, and are not usually bound to objects. They may have an alternate dimension in which they reside while not in use. These can be injured, feel pain, bleed, and even die. There are separate rituals for the willing and unwilling bindings, and the willing one involves taking a vow to not harm humans. These bonds can be broken by a special ritual. If not, then the shiki continues to serve the successor of the one they were bound to.

In all cases, the shikigami will return to the object to which it is bound if one of the following conditions is met:  
1) It finishes what it was created/summoned to do,  
2) It chooses to cut off its power, which is usually due to its capture, or  
3) It takes too much damage/is destroyed, in which case the paper will be damaged.

If the object the shiki is summoned through is damaged, it is possible to transfer it to another item, though most Onmyouji prefer to fix the original item instead of changing it due to emotional attachments or other such things.

The experienced user's _shiki_ may be capable of possessing and manipulating animals or even humans, while a careless user's _shiki_ may get out of control in time, gaining its own will and consciousness and turning on its "master."

* * *

**A/N: Wow. Long bestiary entry.**


	5. Break 1: Starting The Project

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I only own my OCs and the idea for this story.

* * *

**Break 1: Starting The Project**

Ren sat on the steps of her mom's shrine, staring down at the street as she thought about her miko training. She needed to learn more about youkai if she ever wanted to be a good miko, but nobody she knew had time to help her. Her mother Kagome was busy with a project for work and her brother Shippo and his wife Souten were vacationing, leaving Kagome to babysit their children. Yuiko and her parents were vacationing as well, so they wouldn't be any help. Sesshomaru didn't like her, so he was out, his kids were all either too young to be of any help or too busy with work, and his wife was pregnant (not that Rin could help her anyways).

Ren sighed, fiddling with the end of her obi (she had worn her miko-fuku that day; she normally wore her miko-fuku, unless she was out in the city). She could hear Shippo's kids laughing as they played, and she sighed again. At least they were having fun.

Then, their laughter stopped. Ren turned around to see why they were so quiet and saw them running towards her.

They were definitely their parents' kids. The eldest, named Kikyo, was ten. She had her mother's black hair and her father's green eyes. She wore a light green kimono with a darker green obi. The two middle kids, the twins Sango and Miroku, were seven, and they had their father's orangish hair and their mother's reddish-brown eyes. Sango wore a pink kimono with a green obi, while Miroku wore a blue-green kimono with a dark blue obi. The youngest, named Mimi, was only five. She looked just like her mother, with black hair and reddish eyes. She wore a dark violet kimono with a black obi.

Ren turned back around as they reached her. Kikyo sat down to Ren's right with Miroku in her lap, Sango sat to Ren's left, and Mimi jumped into Ren's lap, wrapping her arms around the miko-in-training's neck.

"What's wrong, Auntie Ren?" Mimi asked as Ren wrapped her arms around the girl to make sure that she didn't fall. Ren smiled and shook her head.

"It's nothing, Mimi-chan."

Next to her, Kikyo frowned. "You're lying."

"Please tell us what's wrong, Aunt Ren," Sango said from her place to Ren's left. Ren shook her head again.

"It's nothing for you kids to worry about," she said, hugging Mimi.

From her right, Miroku said "Maybe it has something to do with her miko training."

"Yeah," Sango said, "You're right! She's not in her lesson with Grandma Kagome now!"

"Maybe Grandma's too busy with work now," Miroku suggested. All four of the children looked towards Ren.

"Is that it, Aunt Ren?" the children asked in unison. Ren nodded.

"Yes, that's it." She sighed again. "I was supposed to start learning about other types of youkai today, but Kagome has a bunch of work to do so she cancelled the lessons until further notice."

"That's too bad," Kikyo said, "I know how much you love your lessons with Grandma. Maybe you could do some research on your own."

Ren blinked and smiled, then stood up, handing Mimi to Sango, and said "Thanks for the idea, Kikyo-chan, it's brilliant!"

Ren then ran into the house, with all four of the kids watching her. When she disappeared from their line of sight, they all turned to look at each other and shrugged. Ren was confusing.

* * *

Notes:

Youkai=demon

Miko=priestess

Miko-fuku=the traditional outfit that miko wear, literally "miko clothing"

Obi=the sash that one ties around their waist when wearing a kimono

Kimono=formal Japanese clothing, a silk robe, lit. "clothing, something you wear"

Bestiary= a book or something similar explicitly describing mythical creatures

* * *

**A/N: That chapter was shorter than I had expected. It looked longer on paper! TT I actually wrote this chapter before the others.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	6. AN

Hello, everybody. This is KeiMeansStyle. I apologize for posting this as a new chapter, but I wanted to let you know that I'm redoing Chapter 3. I have a different idea about what I want the chapter to be like, so I want to try it out. I will take this note down when I post the new Chapter 3.

Also, I apologize for my lack of updates. I will try to update more, but I can't guarantee that I will remain interested in this story. That doesn't mean that I will delete this story, though. I It just means that I might not update for a while.

Thank you for reading this note. I apologize again for making a whole chapter out of this.


End file.
